Lecture | VVIK lecture
Worship without Image: Gaurī in her aniconic Pañcapiṇḍī form
- Date
- Thursday 19 February 2026
- Time
- Explanation
- The lecture will be followed by drinks in the LIAS common room of the Herta Mohr Building (first floor)
- Address
-
Herta Mohr
Witte Singel 27A
2311 BG Leiden - Room
- 1.80
Abstract
Śaiva Siddhānta, a major tradition of Śaivism within Hinduism, primarily focuses on Śiva and his mode of worship, performed by men. However, a Śaiva tantra known as the Bṛhatkālottara contains a chapter called the Gaurīyāgapaṭala, which is entirely dedicated to Gaurī, Śiva’s counterpart, and prescribes rituals performed by women. This chapter describes the worship of Gaurī in an aniconic form, known as Pañcapiṇḍī, which comprises four spheres arranged at the corners with one sphere positioned above them.
This form of worship is also attested in other Sanskrit sources, such as the Skandapurāṇa, Agnipurāṇa, Caturvargacintāmaṇi, etc. Moreover, representations of Pañcapiṇḍī are found not only in India (Odisha, Madhya Pradesh), but also in Nepal and Southeast Asia.
This presentation will discuss in detail the worship of Gaurī by women in the Pañcapiṇḍī form as described in Śaiva scriptures and other Sanskrit sources. It will be accompanied by a rich survey of archaeological evidence of the Pañcapiṇḍī form.
Biography
Sushmita Das holds a PhD in Sanskrit from École française d’Extrême-Orient, Pondicherry and Pondicherry University. She previously worked as a Project Associate at the Regional Centre, Puducherry, of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India). Her research focuses on the roles of women in Śaiva and Śākta rituals, with particular attention to unpublished ritual texts, iconographies, inscriptions and manuscripts. She is currently a Gonda Research Fellow at the International Institute for Asian Studies, Leiden University. Her current research examines the sixty forms of the Goddess Maṅgalā as described in the Devīpurāṇa.